Bostwick Community Centre becoming 'destination spot'

Melissa Yee and her family have become regular users of the new Bostwick Community Centre since it opened in early September.

“We come here almost every day,” says the mother of two, while her children played around a ninja-style obstacle course at the centre’s YMCA. “We honestly try to come as much as we can.”

Before joining the Y, Yee said she and her family had a difficult time finding a space to exercise together and do other activities.

The convenient location of the new centre on Southdale Road, west of Wonderland Road, and all the services it offers have changed that, Yee said.

“We always try to find things for us to do while the kids are doing their programs,” she said. “Whether they are in a drop-in program or the music program, we can either work out or do yoga, or simply find something else to do.”

That’s the kind of impact the city, the YMCA and the library were hoping to have when they partnered to build the $55-million, 15,800-square-metre facility that officially opened its doors Saturday.

In two separate studies, both the city and the YMCA had identified there was a need for a new community centre to help close the gap in services in southwest London, said Scott Stafford, London’s managing director of parks and recreation.

“It has really allowed us to be where we needed to be and close some of those gaps in services levels,” he said, noting, for instance, that the closest indoor pool for area residents was at the South London Community Centre near White Oaks Mall.

Twice as big, the Bostwick centre follows up on the success of the Stoney Creek Community Centre, built in 2011.

The centre is home to a YMCA with an indoor pool and gymnasium, a branch library, two ice rinks, as well as community rooms and meeting space.

It also has a 200-metre walking track, as well as a community kitchen right at the entrance and amphitheatre-type seating for public events.

All these features have made the centre a “one-stop shop” for many of its users and the source of its early success, Stafford said.

Officials say the centre is averaging hundreds of visits every day, and with close to 4,000 members, the YMCA has surpassed its initial registration targets.

The library has also seen a jump in new users, said Arlene Thompson, manager of customer services with London Public Library.

“We are finding that there are a lot of new people who may have been longtime London residents, but they had never accessed a London public library before,” she said, noting the former Westmount branch has issued about 800 library cards to new patrons since moving to the new community centre.

“That’s the beauty of a facility like this. It has become a destination spot . . . and we have been able to offer library services to a lot of people who had never found us before.”

This Week's Flyers

Comments

Postmedia is pleased to bring you a new commenting experience. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.